Chapter 9

CHLOE

My phone rings and my eyes ping open. I'm still laying against Drew's body, curled into his front, like a wall warmed by the sun. I don't want to get up, but it could be about Freya. I lift Drew's heavy arm and scoot out from under it. Racing to the living room, I pluck my phone off the table. I hit redial.

"Chloe?"

"Lily. What's wrong?"

"Uh. I'm sending you a link."

Shit. This can't be good. "What's it about?" I hit the speaker button on my phone.

"There's a story about you and Drew."

"What story?"

"Apparently, someone saw you leaving the hospital with Drew, and they're suggesting that you two are a couple. They've got photos. Also, someone tracked down your old high school yearbook pictures."

My mind races through the scenarios playing through my brain. "What aren't you telling me?" I click on the link.

"Freya's photo is on one of the other sites. I'm afraid they're going to spread a rumor about the three of you. Did you ever notice how much Freya looks like Drew?"

"Just because they both have dark hair and blue eyes, doesn't make him her father."

Lily nods. "I get it, but people see what they want to see."

"Oh, shit. You've got to be kidding me. People can just make shit up?"

"Yeah. They do it all the time when it comes to celebrities. I never thought something like this could happen."

I plop down onto the sofa. "I haven't seen Drew since we graduated high school. He has nothing to do with Freya."

Lily sighs. "We both know that, but the paparazzi site is going to try to make this a thing."

My stomach rolls. "How are you going to get us out of this mess?" Silence and then Lily clicks her tongue. I can tell she's running through all the scenarios in her head. "Lily?"

"Um. Option one. We wait it out and hope it blows over. Hopefully, some other news story comes up and drops you out of the spotlight."

I grit my teeth. "That doesn't seem likely."

"Okay. Option two. You do a sit down with one of the late-night shows and try to convince people that you two aren't a thing. Though I'm not sure that's going to work."

"Lily. Just spit it out."

"Share the fact that you two are in a relationship."

I start to laugh like a hyena. I don't want that advertised, but I need to protect my child. "You've got to be kidding. No one will believe it. I'm, well, me, and he's a god."

"Come on Chloe. You're gorgeous and brilliant. You wouldn't have to stay together; you just have to do it long enough for the stink to fall off of you two."

I stretch my neck, feeling the tension as an ache at the top of my spine. This can't be happening. I do one good thing to help my boss, and get fucked. My little voice chuckles. Well, yeah. But I am getting the very best sex. "Damn it."

Lily clears her throat on the other side of the line. "We can't go back in time and take away the photos or your prior connection to Drew." Silence again. "You didn't tell me you two were together."

"It's new." I pause. "I'll talk to you later." I toss my phone on the counter and groan.

Drew's voice startles me. "I'm sorry, baby."

I turn to see his naked body leaning against the hallway wall. My sex moistens, and I wave my hand. "It is what it is. We'll figure it out."

His face brightens, and he moves toward me, covering the distance in three strides. "There are advantages to having a professional athlete as a boyfriend." His eyes widen. "And so, we're clear, I'm your boyfriend?" And he stops with a lusty look.

I put my hand on my hip and stand akimbo. "Are you?"

He nods. "Yeah, I am. But you've been a little slow on the uptake."

"Is this the kind of crap you have to deal with all the time?"

"Paparazzi?" He shrugs. "Yes. It's a catch-22. I love the fans, but the fans fuel the media. Any opportunity to catch me with my pants down is a hot commodity."

I giggle. "I like it when your pants are down."

He wraps his arms around me. "Why didn't you tell Lily we were together?"

"I don't know. A part of me can't wrap my brain around it."

Drew nods. "I get that. But we are."

I bob my head and stare up into his cerulean blue eyes. "We are." His mouth slams down on me, and his tongue tangles with mine, making me clutch at his shirt. He breaks the kiss.

I nibble my bottom lip. "I want to get Freya. I know she's safe with Lily and Phoebe, but I need her with me."

His eyes ping wider. "Can I come too?"

Can I bring him with me? I can't come up with a reason against it. We've become close. Before we go much further, I need to know how he is with my kid. "Sure."

He beams. "My driver can take us and after we get her, we can go for some ice cream?" I blow out my breath. He puts his fingers under my chin. "And don't say you can't eat ice cream. You look great."

"Okay. Let me grab a baseball cap to go with yours." I reach into my closet and grab a hat from college.

He smirks.

"What? This is the only thing I've got that's not a Mustang hat."

We stroll out my apartment door, and he takes my hand in his. This is the first time we've been outside in public. My chest constricts. Are there cameras snapping photos of us as we leave my building? We get into his driver's car.

His driver looks over. "Good evening, sir. Where to?"

"We need to go to the Campbell Ranch."

"Certainly."

I snuggle next to Drew, loving his warmth.

Drew shifts in the seat. "Hey, Clyde. Where's a tasty ice cream place?" He flicks his head to me. "Freya's going to be disappointed about leaving her sleepover, maybe ice cream will make it easier."

Clyde speaks from the front seat. "There's a really nice, family-owned parlor in Frisco, close to the ranch."

Drew holds me in the back seat of the car, and I cuddle against him. I take my courage in hand. "How are we going to handle the media attention about us?"

He shrugs. "I'll take out a billboard and announce that we're officially dating. That won't necessarily calm things in the media, but it doesn't give them anywhere to go."

"What about what Lily said about Freya? They could lie and say she's yours."

"And if they do, I'll be fine with that. Realistically, someone will figure out we didn't go to the same college, and there aren't any photos of us since high school. It's a stretch even for dumb people to think we were covertly together in the last ten years."

DREW

It's been a week and a half since the Saturday night that Lily called, and all hell has broken loose. I'm staring at my phone and my stomach is churning. Gossip sites have dug up photos from high school, and my team's public relations department has called me in for a meeting.

"Mr. King."

I walk into the room with four staff members sitting across the long conference table. I hear the click, click of high-heeled shoes and know Lily is coming in behind me. "Good morning."

Lily sits on our side of the table as I set my phone in front of me.

The director grabs the controller for the screen and turns it on. Her face reminds me of someone who's sucked on a lemon. "The morning sports channel shows a photo of you and pans to a recent photo of a woman, Chloe Taylor, driving you from the hospital. The next picture shows a photo of Chloe and her daughter, Freya, at a community fundraiser." She flicks her head at the screen. "She looks just like you."

I noticed the resemblance when I met her. Her blue eyes pop on the screen and remind me of the eyes that stare back at me. There is absolutely no possible way the child is mine, but the thought warms a place in my soul I thought was permanently closed.

"Mr. King. The media outlets are turning this whole thing into a circus. It's bad enough you fight and drink to a point of embarrassment. Their reports infer that you're a dead-beat father."

I open my mouth, but Lily thrusts her hand at the screen as she leans back in her chair. "First of all, Mr. King hasn't seen Ms. Taylor for a decade. The child in question is eight." She clears her throat. "Ten minus eight, even considering a nine-month gestation, still leaves over a year."

Their public relations assistant nods. "True, but they can't seem to count. Too many of them are getting on the bandwagon."

Lily blows out a breath. "We can produce the birth certificate and confirm that Mr. King's name is not on the document, and they were both at different universities at the time of conception."

The PR woman tosses a file folder with pages of articles about my exploits spilling out. "With all the problems you've had over the past few years, this is just the latest blemish on your reputation." The door opens with the team president and managing owner strolling in. He thrusts his hand out to Lily as she starts to stand. "No need, Lily." He nods at me and leans against the table on the other side of me. "I don't want to trade you."

Shit. Fuck. Here we go. "I don't want to be traded."

"Well, we've got a PR problem, and you need to fix it. I want you to marry this woman." He flicks his head to the screen. "It appears you two have a relationship. You both look smitten in the photos."

Lily stands and leans against the table on my other side. "Wait a minute. You want my employee to marry Mr. King to improve his image or yours?"

Alex laughs. "You don't sugarcoat things. I like that about you. You don't play games, and you're right, we need to clean up everyone's image, and that includes the team. We've had some issues recently." He purses his lips and looks like he's listing those issues in his brain. "Unfortunately. this scandal is highlighting some of your teammate's prior issues."

Lily gives me a knowing look. She'll explain what he's talking about later. I nod at Alex. He's a good owner. He owns controlling interest of the team and was appointed president last year.

The other women in the room banter options and argue amongst themselves about the best approach. I feel like a spectator at a pickle ball match. Lily smirks and rolls her eyes as Alex raises his voice. "Enough." He stares at me in my chair. He's used to being the big man in the room, and he's comfortable dictating. "You will marry her. It doesn't have to be permanent, and you don't have to declare paternity or anything. You'll look like a good guy for stepping up to save her reputation while you save your own."

Lily argues, and I stand, putting my hand forward as he meets mine to shake. "Fine. Lily and I will determine the best approach to handling the specifics."

"That's fine. But you need to be married by the end of Sunday. That gives you four days, and we need photos of the celebration."

I move to Lily, slipping my hand around her back and leading her from the conference room. I can tell she's pissed. We get to the elevator, and she's seething. I whisper. "Just wait until we get into your SUV."

We step out of the stadium and climb into the back of her Land Rover. She flicks her head to her driver, and the partition glass slides up behind the front seats. She turns to me. "Have you lost your mind?"

"If Chloe weren't your friend and employee, you'd be all for this."

She blows out her breath. "That isn't the point."

I interrupt. "What did you mean when you said I was helping the team?"

"A Mustang player has been accused of domestic violence. I'm not sure about the validity of the accusations, but it looks and sounds bad. Mr. Brennan believes your joyous news will take off some of the negative publicity off the team. I understand why this proposal seems like a good idea, but I warn you, it could backfire." She purses her lips. "And I have no idea how you are going to convince Chloe to do this."

My smile rises from the corner of my mouth. "We like each other."

She jerks her head around to me. "Is this serious?"

"We've been seeing each other since the weekend she brought me home from the hospital. I want it to be. It's new, but I'm hopeful for the first time since my mom died."

Lily pulls out her phone and clicks away. "You will be good to Chloe, or I really will have the Campbells take you out in the desert and bury you."

I chuckle, but a part of me knows she means it. "Last time you said they'd just lose me."

She rolls her eyes and scrutinizes her phone. "You're really going to marry Chloe?"

"I am. It's funny, but when Brennan said the words, something clicked. I want to marry her. I've spent most every evening and weekend since that Friday with Chloe and now Freya. That little girl is special. She matters to me, and I want to build a life with her and Chloe."

Lily studies me. "I think I believe you."

"I'm serious. They are now mine, and I don't need you to remind me that the Campbell cousins will kill me if I do."